Friends, Lovers, Sinners & Others
by Trufreak89
Summary: Cat is struggling to cope with Frankie being a permanent fixture in her life again.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Friends, Lovers, Sinners & Others

**Summary: **Cat's struggling to cope with Frankie becoming a permanent fixture in her life once again.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Lip Service or anything associated with the show.

**Rating: **M

**A/N: **Set after episode 3 so general spoilers up till then. References to pairings Cat/Sam, Cat/Frankie and Tess/Ed friendship (possibly more).

Cat let out a deep sigh as she finally wrestled her front door open without dropping everything she was carrying. Her relief at being home was short lived however as she heard voices coming from the living room. She hated when Tess had company over without letting her know in advance. It had been a long day at work, most of which she'd spent covering for Jay and his hangover, and the last thing she wanted was a house full of people.

Her spirits dampened further when she walked in to the living room and found the place looking like a bomb site. Empty beer bottles and pizza boxes littered the floor. Cards and poker chips were scattered over her coffee table. Her brother, Tess and Frankie were sat around the table. Frankie was the first to notice her and offered her a lazy smile. It took all of Cat's willpower not to slap it off of her face. "Cat! Hey!" Tess grinned as she caught sight of her flatmate. "Come join us! We're playing poker! You're brother owes me..." She checked a scrap of paper in front of her. "Eighty four thousand pounds."

Cat forced a smile on to her lips. "Good luck, he still owes me a tenner from last month."

"Hmm, I want my money first." Tess teased, earning a scoff from Ed.

"Yeah right, do you take Monopoly money?"

"You actually owe me forty grand from Monopoly." Frankie nodded towards the board game sitting on the floor, the pieces and little plastic houses still scattered all over the board. Cat suppressed a shudder at the chaotic sight. She desperately needed to escape to the sanctuary of her room.

"Come play with us?" Tess patted the sofa beside her, even though she and Ed were taking up most of the space.

"Yeah Cat, come play." Frankie's suggestive grin was the last straw and Cat felt herself beginning to lose what little patience she had left.

"No thanks. It's been a long day. I think I'm just going to go to bed." She made her excuses and fled to her room, just managing to stop herself from slamming the door like a moody teenager. In the weeks Frankie had been back in her life she seemed to be constantly around. Appearing at the worst possible times.

Cat stripped off her work clothes, stripping down to her underwear and folding them neatly before placing them in the laundry hamper. Her limbs felt stiff and tense. She needed a hot shower to unwind after her long day. Pulling on her dressing gown she slipped back out of her room and in to the bathroom.

Shrugging off her dressing gown she turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray, welcoming the way the water eased the tension in her body.

She'd been in the shower long enough for her skin to prune. She'd almost managed to relax when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Jesus!" She jumped behind the shower screen, scowling as Frankie walked in on her.

"Whoa. Sorry." The blonde apologised, though made no effort to turn around and walk out.

"Frankie! Get out!" The older woman snapped impatiently as she realised Frankie had no intention of leaving. "This isn't a bloody peep show!"

"Nothing I ain't seen before." She teased, a predatory smile gracing her lips as her eyes raked over Cat's form. The frosted glass of the shower screen revealed little more than the outline of her creamy flesh, but it was enough to entice the younger woman.

"Towel." Cat snapped, holding out her hand for the towel hanging up behind Frankie. She wasn't about to step out from behind the safety of the screen.

"This towel?" Frankie took it off the hook and dangled it just beyond Cat's reach. The older woman scowled as she failed to snatch the towel from Frankie's hand.

"For fucks sake Frankie! Grow up!" She tried again to take the towel, but the blonde took a deliberate step back, her grin widening.

"Frankie I've had a really shit day, so please just give me the bloody towel!" Cat made no attempt to reach out for the towel and expose herself.

"Bad day? I would have thought you'd have super cop over; help you unwind." The blonde's tone was casual enough, but her gaze was intense, searching for a reaction in the older woman.

Cat's poker face was about as effective as her brother's and Frankie easily picked up on the flash of anguish that flitted across her expression. You didn't grow up with someone without being able to read them as easily as your favourite book. "Lover's tiff?"

More like half an hour of screaming at each other over the phone. Frankie had been the catalyst for the argument of course. Sam had planned a night out. Cat had been to exhausted, too stressed. Somehow Frankie had came up in the conversation, more than likely from Cat moaning about her presence in her life again. The conversation had not ended well, but things with Sam could wait until the morning. When she felt up to grovelling the other woman for forgiveness.

"Frankie." Cat sighed, resting her head against the glass and closing her eyes as the room in front of her began to spin. She'd pulled an all nighter the previous day working on a proposal for a new client; a proposal she'd worked her arse off to land only to have it handed over to Jay. She was beyond tired and dangerously close to just passing out where she stood. She'd turned the shower off when the blonde had barged in and her body began to shake as the cold air bit at her vulnerable flesh. She was trembling when she felt the towel wrap around her body. Opening her eyes she found Frankie standing in the bathtub with her, carefully wrapping her in the towel. "What do you think you're doing?" She tried to push the blonde away, almost landing on her backside as she stumbled in the slippery bath. Frankie caught her before her back could slam off the taps.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna cop a feel." The younger woman teased as she helped Cat to stand upright again and stepped out of the bath. Her socks were soaking from standing in the wet tub and they squelched as she took a step back and offered her hands out to Cat. Had she not felt so unsteady on her feet Cat would have started shouting at her to get out, but she knew the chances of her passing out and cracking her head open on the bathroom floor were pretty high so she took the offered hands. Frankie didn't wait for her to step out of the bath, she lifted her out, setting her down gently on the floor and keeping her arms wrapped around her.

"Thanks." Cat choked out, the thin towel separating her from the heat of Frankie's body was not helping her head to focus very much. She started shaking again and she wasn't sure whether it was from the cold or the proximity of her ex.

"Come on let's get you to bed." Cat internally cursed just how husky Frankie's voice could sound. She tried to kick start her senses and tell the younger woman that she could manage fine herself, but the words would not pass her lips. She opened her mouth and shut it again, floundering like a fish. Frankie ignored her silent protest and led her back to her room, constantly keeping one arm wrapped around her waist.

She closed the door behind them and went straight over to Cat's bed, picking her pyjamas out from under her pillow. She smiled at the familiarity. Cat really was a creature of habit. "Here." She handed them over and turned her back to give the brunette some privacy. Cat, still unable to form the words to object, silently obeyed and dropped the towel. She quickly pulled the sweat pants and vest she'd left under her pillow to sleep in. She regretted choosing the vest as she felt goose-pimples forming on her arms and her body began to shake again. She cleared her throat, letting the blonde know she was ready.

Frankie turned around and frowned when she found her wearing the vest and still shaking. She pulled her hooded sweatshirt over her head, intending to give it to the other woman.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cat's eyes widened as Frankie began removing her clothing.

"Not you. Obviously." The blonde snapped back with a playful smile.

"Obviously." Cat repeated like a parrot as Frankie stepped forward and put the hoodie over her head. She let Cat put her arms in and pull it down while she pulled her hair out from inside and then pulled the hood up.

"Much better." The blonde's face was hovering dangerously close in front of Cat's. "Now. Bed." There was that husky voice again. Cat's eyes dropped as inappropriate thoughts crossed her mind. Memories of times when Frankie had ordered her to bed before. She hadn't had much sleep those night either.

Frankie, not one to usually miss a trick, failed to notice the crimson blush on Cat's cheeks. Instead her eyes focused on a little foil packet of pills on her night stand. "What are these?" She turned the packet over in her hands but could find no markings.

"Caffeine tablets." Cat mumbled as she pushed back the covers and got in to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes began to close.  
"They don't say anything. Where'd you get them?"

"Hmmm? Oh...Jay." The other woman sighed, wanting nothing more than to let the sleep she desperately needed wash over her.

"Fucking tosser." She was vaguely aware of Frankie cursing. "Cat?" Her voice was louder now as she shook Cat's shoulders, forcing the older woman to open her eyes. "Cat, I don't think these are pro plus..." She was pretty sure Jay hadn't bought them from a chemist either. She was going to kill him when she got her hands on him.

For Cat to take anything off Jay she must have been desperate. It was clear to everyone she was running herself ragged, working herself towards an early grave. Frankie supposed her reappearance wasn't exactly helping matters much. The older woman had always been a little up tight and a little OCD, but never to the point of becoming the nervous wreck she had turned in to over the last few weeks.

"I'm sorry." The blonde whispered before pressing her lips to Cat's forehead. The brunette mumbled something incoherent in her sleep before rolling over. What exactly Frankie was saying sorry for she couldn't begin to fathom.

She had betrayed her best friend in the worst way. Chased her until she was Frankie's and then just thrown her away. She'd left without a word, escaped to New York and only bothered to tell Cat three weeks later. Even then she'd only offered a measly sorry. And there she was again, fucking up Cat's life.

Sometimes sorry just couldn't cut it.


	2. Chapter 2

Cat squinted against the light streaming in through her bedroom window. She groaned as she tried to lift her head and the room began spinning in front of her. She groped for her mobile on her bedside table and a quick glance at it reassured her it was Saturday. She hadn't slept in for work. She had slept through the whole morning though. It was already after lunch and Sam had called twice.

She'd left a voice mail the second time. With the push of a few buttons Sam's voice filled her ear. "Hey, it's me...obviously. Look, I'm sorry about last night...I said some pretty harsh things. I know this Frankie thing has got you stressed, and I should be more understanding...it's just...I think we're good...no great, together and I don't want to lose you. Just give me a call or something."

Dragging herself out of bed, Cat made her way in to the living room and found the place surprisingly clean. She was shocked Tess had bothered to clean up after herself and the others. "Tess?" She called out, intending to praise her usually dysfunctional flatmate.

"She's gone out for lunch with Ed."

The older woman nearly jumped out of her skin as Frankie answered her from the kitchen. She tossed the dish cloth she had been holding in to the empty sink and casually leaned against the kitchen counter, as though it were normal for her to be standing in Cat's kitchen doing the dishes on a Saturday morning. The thought that at one time it had been completely normal made the brunette's insides twist. "I knew you'd freak over the mess, so I tidied up." Frankie tried to fill the silence as Cat just stood and stared at her.

"Oh, and I spoke to Jay. Those pills he gave you weren't caffeine pills. They were speed..."

"Oh god." Cat groaned in to her hands just as her phone began to ring.

"Aren't you gonna get that?" Frankie nodded towards the phone that was vibrating in her pocket. "It's probably Sam." She added with a slight edge to her usual laid back tone.

"Oh yeah, because I'm dying to tell my police officer girlfriend that I haven't been ignoring her all morning. I've just been coming down from speed!" Cat snapped impatiently as she knocked the phone on to voice mail. She would kill Jay when she got her hands on him.

"Well unless your new girlfriend gives you piss tests she doesn't have to find out. It can be our little secret."

The smile that tugged at the corners of Frankie's lips annoyed Cat more than her words did. She was dreading the conversation she would have to have with Sam, minus the part about one of her close friends supplying her with Speed and having Frankie in her flat was just unsettling her more. The blonde held her hands up in mock surrender as Cat's phone started going off again. "I'll leave you to it shall I?" She waked towards the front door, brushing against Cat as she passed her. She stopped as she reached the front door and flashed the older woman a lazy smile. "I forgot how good you look in my clothes."

She closed the door behind her just as Cat let out a curse at finding herself wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt that smelt distinctly of beer, cigarettes and Joop. She tried to push away the overbearing sense of familiarity as she finally answered her phone. "Hey you! Sorry I didn't answer earlier I've just got up...I'm feeling a little under the weather. I think I'm heading in for a cold or something."

"Want me to come over and make you some chicken soup?" Sam teased on the other end of the line, sitting at her desk and idly twirling a pen in her hand. Cat let out a small chuckle at the prospect of Sam forcing her to stay in bed and eat soup.

"No, it's OK. I'll be fine, just need to sort myself out. I'll see you tonight though yeah?" She tried to sound casual, but she held her breath waiting for Sam's response.

"Of course." Her girlfriend replied without hesitation. "I'll bring a bottle of wine...and some chicken soup for you." Sam's tone was light and playful, a stark contrast to the previous evening when they had been screaming at one another.

"Just bring yourself...that's all I want. You're all I want."

"Oi, tosser!" Frankie hissed as she bent over Jay's desk.

"Good morning to you too Frankie." He shot back, his hangover leaving him in no mood for pleasantries. He had been anticipating a visit from the young blonde ever since she'd rang him that morning to ask what he'd given to Cat. "Look, before you start, she said she needed something to pick her up!"

"Yeah some pro plus, a cup of coffee, or maybe even a fucking good night's sleep, not speed!" Frankie snapped back. When it came to Cat she had always been overprotective of the older woman. They had after all been best friends once; even if it felt like a million years ago.

"Yeah? Well I'm not the one keeping her up all hours of the night Frankie...and neither are you!"

His words were like a physical blow, knocking the wind out of her. "Just don't give her any-fucking-thing else, ok?" She slumped on to his desk, sitting on top of the building plans Jay had been working on.

"Are you kidding?" Jay smiled, trying to diffuse the tension between them. "Do you remember when we made her try LSD?"

Frankie snorted at the memory of Cat frantically clinging to her and informing her that green mice were trying to steal her toes. She'd held the trembling brunette all night, cradled her in her arms until she came down off her trip. Nowadays she was lucky if Cat spent more than five minutes in the same room as her. She lost her smile and cradled her head in her hands. "Fuck sake, Jay! I really fucked up...I want her back. I want Cat back."


	3. Chapter 3

"Fucks sake Frankie!" Jay shook his head as he brought a bottle of Carling up to his lips. His Saturday in the office had abruptly ended with Frankie's confession. "You can't just fucking turn back up here after two years and fuck about with Cat's head. She's happy with Sam. Leave it be, yeah?"

"Leave it be?" Frankie snapped incredulously. "Cat was mine first!"

"That's all this is about, isn't it? Someone else is playing with your favourite toy and you're not happy about it." Jay scoffed, dismissing the blonde's renewed interest in Cat.

"It's not like that." The younger woman huffed. "I've always wanted Cat. I couldn't handle it when I finally got her. I knew I'd fuck things up and hurt her so-"

"So you did a moonlight flit, fucked things up and hurt the one person who cared most about you in the world? Great plan Frankie. Fucking excellent solution."

"Fuck you Jay." Frankie downed the rest of her beer before flashing the barmaid a smile. "Can we get some shots please?"

"Shots o'clock already?" Tess grinned as she bounced up beside Frankie at the bar. Ed took a seat beside them, looking particularly surly. The blonde wondered whether he had heard any of her and Jay's conversation about Cat.

"Yeah. And it's your round." The blonde teased as the barmaid returned with a bottle of apple sours.

"I've just blown most of my savings on a new dress...totally worth it though. The sales girl was gorgeous and...actually I really am skint. Can you lend me a tenner Ed?"

Ed rolled his eyes but dipped his hand in to his pocket to retrieve his wallet anyway. "Just leave the bottle yeah?" Frankie grinned as the barmaid did as she was asked, and flashed the blonde a wink before leaving to serve her next customer.

"Did Cat have a fit at the mess this morning then?" Tess quizzed as she expertly filled the four shot glasses that had been left for them on the bar.

"She was fine. I cleaned up." Frankie shrugged nonchalantly as Tess stuck her thumb to her forehead.

"Under the thumb or what?" The blonde giggled as she helped herself to one of the shots. "You're like an old married couple...just without the sex-"

"So they're exactly like a married couple." Jay added, shooting a sly grin towards a scowling Frankie.

"Excuse me, that's my sister you're talking about. The last thing I want to think about is her sex life-"

"Well you'll have to talk about someone's Ed. Seeing as you don't have one." Frankie shot back, taking her frustration out on Cat's younger brother.

"OK. Time out you two." Tess handed a shot to each of them as Jay helped himself. "No arguing. No bitching. Just some serious drinking."

"Here, here." Frankie clanked her shot glass against Tess' before downing its contents and reaching for the bottle on the bar. Ed rolled his eyes but followed suit as Tess shot him a pleading smile. It would be a long night and he had no intentions of suffering through it sober.

Cat paced up and down the living room with her mobile in her hand. Sam should have finished hours ago and yet she hadn't came over or even called. She almost jumped out of her skin as her phone finally rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." Sam greeted her on the other end of the phone. "Sorry I didn't get a chance to phone earlier. I know it's late. There's been an armed robbery at one of the bank's on the high-street...I'm going to be stuck at work all night-"

"Are you still mad at me?" Cat knew she sounded needy and selfish but she couldn't help feeling like Sam was just making excuses to not come over.

"What? No. Of course not. Trust me, I'd rather be spending the night with you than running around Glasgow looking for three armed men wearing Margaret Thatcher masks."

Cat chuckled at the thought of Sam chasing after a Margaret Thatcher look-a-like. "I miss you." Sam sighed. She paused, considering adding something else but seemed to think better of it. "I'm sorry I can't make you dinner tonight. How about breakfast instead?"

"It's a deal." Cat smiled in to her phone. "I'll see you in the morning. I miss you too."

Happy that her girlfriend wasn't purposely avoiding her she said her goodbyes and opened the bottle of wine sitting on the coffee table before curling up under a blanket on the sofa. With or without Sam she'd make the most of having the flat to herself.

"Cat's gonna freak." Frankie frowned at Tess as she struggled to get her key in the lock of her front door. Ed mumbled something that sounded as though he was agreeing with Frankie. He was sat on the floor, cradling his head in his hands. Tess had somehow convinced him to move on to cocktails with her after a dozen or so shots. He handled his drink about as well as his sister did and Tess and Frankie had practically carried him back to Cat's apartment.

Tess finally managed to get the door open. She giggled as she dragged Ed inside, happily informing him she wanted ice cream. Frankie followed them in, closing the door behind her. She caught sight of Cat on the sofa and made her way over towards her. The older woman was sound asleep, her legs tucked underneath her and her arms wrapped protectively around herself. A small smile tugged at the blonde's lips as she realised her ex-lover was once again wearing the hoodie she had given her the night before.

An explosion of noise erupted from the kitchen as Tess managed to drop the ice cream carton, three bowls and a four pack of cider that she'd been balancing on top of the ice cream. Cat woke with a start. Her eyes widened as they focused on Frankie. "Jesus." She ran a hand through her rumpled locks. "What the hell are you doing here Frankie?" As if to answer her question Ed went running past, racing towards the bathroom and holding his hand to his mouth.

"Shots o'clock." Frankie answered, a bemused smile on her face. "Followed by too much sex on the beach."

Cat frowned as Frankie took a seat on the sofa beside her. "Why were you and Ed having sex on the beach? Actually why were you having sex with my brother?" The blonde noticed the empty bottle of red wine on the coffee table and realised Cat's confusion was not just from being startled awake.

"I would never have sex with your brother." She replied, her arm snaking around the back of the sofa as she leant in a little closer to the brunette. "There's only one MacKenzie I want to fu-"

"I think Ed's dying!" Tess called out from the bathroom, interrupting the blonde.

Cat scowled as she got to her feet, pushing Frankie aside. She found Tess and Ed sitting on the bathroom floor. Her brother had his head down the toilet while Tess sat rubbing his back. Cat rolled her eyes at the sight of them. "I'm going to bed." She grumbled, leaving them to it. She turned around to find Frankie leaning against her bedroom door, a suggestive smirk on her lips.

"Now. What were we talking about?" Her voice was low and husky. Whether Cat liked it or not her body trembled in response.

"You were just leaving, weren't you?" Cat forced her voice not to shake as she brushed past Frankie to get in to her room. The blonde didn't let her pass without a fight. Her slender fingers clamped around the older woman's wrist before the rest of her body pinned her to the door frame.

"Was I?"

"You're drunk." Cat growled out, shoving her away as the blonde tried to lean in and kiss her. "I mean it Frankie, you should go."

"Or what? Is Sam going to arrest me? Where is she anyway?" Frankie followed her in to the bedroom, refusing to let up. She took a seat on the edge of Cat's bed, looking up at the her ex with a defiant stare. "I wouldn't leave you alone for two nights-" She fell silent as Cat's hand connected with her cheek. The sound of the slap echoed in the silent room. Cat's chest heaved up and down with the effort of trying to keep control. She couldn't afford to have a break down in front of the younger woman.

"Two years, Frankie. _You _left me for two fucking years!"

"I'm sorry." The blonde mumbled her apology, knowing full well that nothing she could say could ever make up for what she'd put Cat through. "I was scared. I fucked up. Just like I always do-"

"Oh for God's sake. Drop the pity party Frankie. You knew what you were doing when you got on that plane to New York and forgot to tell me about it for three weeks!" Cat felt herself growing hysterical as a mixture of wine and anger fuelled her words. "No! No, I'm not doing this. I am over all of this Frankie. I'm done with it all. Done with you-"

"You don't mean that." Frankie choked out. "Cat, please-"

"Get out." The older woman ignored her pleas. Walking over to the door she wrenched it open and waited expectantly. When Frankie did not budge from the edge of her bed she stormed over to her and clamped a hand around her arm, intending to force her out of her room. Out of her life. "I said go!"

"Make me." Frankie's response was almost a growl as her own hands took hold of Cat's wrists. She pulled the smaller woman forward, knocking her off balance and pulling her down so that she landed in Frankie's lap. The blonde wasted no time in crushing their lips together.

Cat's eyes widened in disbelief at what was happening, but, just for the briefest of seconds, her lips responded. The kiss was over far too soon though and she wrenched herself away from her ex-lover. This time Frankie was ready. She caught Cat's hand before it could connect with her cheek. The younger woman stole a chaste peck on the cheek before Cat could stop her. She laughed, a mirthless and bitter sound as she pushed Cat aside on to the bed and got to her feet. "You say you're done with me, but then you never push me away all that hard. Do you Cat?" She smirked as Cat's gaze dropped. "See ya babe." The door slammed shut behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell are you doing? I told you to leave!" Cat snapped as she found the blonde making her way over to her bed. She involuntarily clutched the covers protectively in front of her. She felt vulnerable and exposed as she lay in bed and watched Frankie saunter over.

"And I told you to make me." Her words were a husky growl as she pulled her shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor. "So come on Cat. Make me." She was kneeling on the bed before Cat had even pushed the covers away. She reached for her phone, but the blonde took it from her and tossed it aside.

"Frankie-"

The younger woman cut her off with another kiss. This time Cat didn't put up a fight. Her lips fought back for dominance as her hands became entwined in her blonde locks, pulling her in closer. Frankie's hands went straight to the waistband of the other woman's pyjamas. She was through with messing about. Her agile fingers slipped under the waistband and trailed a teasing path down her thigh. Cat shuddered, her entire body anticipating the first touch. Frankie's lips brushed against the column of her throat before reaching her ear.

"_I love you..."_

"Cat?"

Cat's eyes snapped open at the familiar voice. "Morning sleepyhead." Sam grinned as she slipped in to bed beside her girlfriend. Cat stared up at here with wide eyes. She was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the other woman.

"Sam." Her brain finally kicked in to gear as she realised she had been dreaming. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Sam's arms wrapped around her, pulling her in close as she kissed her good morning. "Tess let me in. And I've come bearing gifts." She held up a paper bag from the deli down the street. The sweet smell of chocolate croissants assaulting Cat's nostrils.

"You're amazing do you know that?" The Scott grinned as she tucked in to a pastry. She tried to push all thoughts of Frankie from her mind. It was easier said than done.

Her phone started shrieking from the bedside table. She rolled her eyes as the caller ID informed her it was her boss. She knew what was coming before he even said hello. "Hello?"

"Cat, it's me. Listen something big has come up. And I mean really big. The old Empress Theatre has just been bought in a private auction by a yank called Nathaniel Hargreaves. He's a big player Cat and he's looking to remodel the whole place. A friend of a friend and a lot of favours has landed us the contract. I need my top girl on this asap!" She was only his 'top girl' because Jay wasn't stupid enough to answer his phone first thing on a Sunday morning. "I need you over there by nine am sharp. Hargreaves already has people in place here to show you around."

"Ok. I'll be there." She sighed in to the phone in response, shooting Sam an apologetic smile.

"Maybe later, yeah?" Sam kissed her cheek rather half-heartedly before getting to her feet and heading towards the door.

"Sam I'm so sorry, but this is really important and I'm hanging on to my job by a thread as it is-"

"No worries." The stoic cop cut her off, her tone a little less abrasive as she added. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'll pick you up tonight and we can have dinner...just me and you."

"I'd like that." Cat smiled back. She waited until the door closed behind Sam until she started pulling clothes out of her wardrobe and throwing them on. She had less than forty minutes to get to the other side of the city.

The Empress Theatre was an old cinema complex that had once been an eighteenth century theatre building. Many of the original fixtures and fittings had been left behind during the refurbishment in the seventies. Cat had spent most of her Friday nights there as a teenager. With Frankie of course.

"Makes you feel fourteen again doesn't it?" Cat jumped as Frankie's silky voice purred in her ear.

"I wouldn't know. I was sixteen when we started coming here...I remember sneaking in to see _Day of the Dead._" Cat shot back, trying to keep the conversation light. Frankie chuckled in her ear.

"You made me stay over all that weekend. You were too frightened to sleep by yourself." Cat took a step forward, putting a bit of distance between them. After Frankie's actions the night before she had no desire to have the blonde pushed up behind her back.

"What are you doing here Frankie?"

"Boss man called and told me to meet you here. You point, I click." The blonde shrugged nonchalantly, holding up her camera to emphasise her words. She turned her attention to the theatre building. "I can't believe someone bought this old place." Cat ignored the other woman's attempt at small talk as an elderly gentlemen with silver hair and a slight limp emerged from the front door of the Empress. The old man had been there the day the Empress had opened in the late seventies. He'd caught Cat and Frankie loads of times, sneaking in to films rated eighteen when they were under-age. He'd even thrown them out once when he'd caught Frankie with her hand up Cat's skirt. Cat had been nineteen, and very drunk. Frankie had been seventeen and very eager.

"Irve the per-"

"Mr Irving." Cat interrupted the blonde and held out her hand for the elderly man. "I'm Catherine McKenzie. I'm an architect and this is Francesca Allan, she's a photographer. I believe you're expecting us?" Cat could feel her cheeks reddening as the silver haired man looked her up and down. His scrutinizing gaze turned to Frankie before he finally spoke.

"I know you two, don't I?"

"Erk...no sir. I don't think so." Cat stumbled, aware of Frankie stifling a laugh behind her. Irving glared between them one last time before scoffing and shaking his head.

"Yer boss is upstairs wi' the rest o' his cronies." He tossed the keys at Cat, who just managed to catch them. Frankie stepped forward, her expression menacing.

"Frankie." Cat put a hand on her arm to stop her in her tracks. The blonde sneered at the old man as he limped off towards his car.

"I never liked that old bastard. I should have smashed his face in that time he tried to touch you up-"

"Frankie. Can we not take a trip down memory lane?" Cat snapped, her already sour mood taking a turn for the worst. "We're here to do a job. Once we're done I'm going home to have dinner with Sam and I don't want to see you again for a while."

"Fair enough." Frankie pushed past her and entered the familiar foyer of the Empress Theatre. The place had been closed down for nearly five years, but the décor was still a remnant of the eighties. The blonde took out her camera and began taking shots for old time's sake.

"Who are you?" A snotty American accent greeted her from the top of the grand stairs that dominated the foyer. The woman looked down on her through half-rimmed spectacles. Coupled with her dark grey suit, and her ponytail pulled back in to a bun, she looked like a strict librarian from a porn film.

"Trading standards-"

"Frankie Allen. And I'm Cat MacKenzie. Alistair sent us-"

"Mr. Hargreaves is waiting upstairs for you in the main screen." The woman turned her back to them, expecting them to follow her without question. Wordlessly Cat made her way up the stairs, followed by Frankie who fell back a few steps to watch the older woman's arse as she climbed the stairs. She grinned as Cat's hips swung a little more than usual.

The American lead them to the main screen where a small group of people were milling around a middle-aged man in an expensive suit His blonde locks were cropped short and his face was clean shaven. He was in the middle of a rant about something when he caught sight of the two women. A large grin broke out on his lips. "Well hello sexy. Where have you been all my life?" Cat's eyes widened at the greeting. Frankie however laughed it off and came out with a witty retort.

"Fucking your sister."

"I love you Francesca, but you go near my sister again and-"

"And you want to watch, right Nate?"

Nathaniel Hargreaves broke out in a hearty laugh as he jumped down from the stage that housed the screen and pulled Frankie in to a crushing bear hug. "Where've you been Blondie? Last I heard you were going away for a few days, not months! My parties haven't been the same without my best girl taking her photos!" Frankie shrugged. She didn't want to get in to details.

"This is my home. Felt like sticking around for a while."

"I see it has its attractions." Nathaniel grinned as he held out his hand for Cat. "Who's this little lady then?"

"This is Cat."

"Cat MacKenzie." Cat shook his hand. "I'm the architect-"

"Please Miss MacKenzie, I assure you, you need no introduction. I'm familiar with your work. That's why I asked Alistair for you specifically." Cat blushed as the American brought his lips to her hand.

"Easy Nate, she bats for the other side. And her girlfriend's a copper."

The young man grinned as he put an arm around Cat's shoulder. "Frankie, why don't you go take some pretty pictures? Leave me and Cat here to work out how we're going to turn this old dump in to the hottest nightspot in Glasgow."


End file.
